Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-01-20
THE WAY HIS MOTHER DID.
HELEN NJ. wiNsLow.

l cured my jeremiah OF thinking
that he could cook jest as his mother
did easy enough. 1t was the week be.
lore Thanksgiving, and says |, at the
breakfast table one morning:
Jeremiah" says /, II billed my
meat yesterday, and if you'll bring in
that jug of cider molasses that YOU
put into the ice house to keep COO
through the summer, I'll make up my
mince pies to-day"
A simple remark enough, and limo.
cent, but who can tell what a word
may bring forth?
81 WISH" says the pardner OF my
Joys. and (whe n he can't dodge them)
OF my sorrows, 81 wish l could taste
of some of my mothers pies again
Them was pies as was pies"
Now, / know that if Philura Jane
Jones can do one thing better than
another, it is to make mince pie
but | KEEP calm outwardly.
"How was they NADER" says l.
what was the ingregiences?"
oval" says he, II used to watch
her every Tnanksgivin' time; and i
you'd hear to me, / believe / could
tell jest how. Hi! wasn't they good
though? yum, believe / could make
EN- myself"
Perhaps you'd BETTER" says
coolly.
81 can," says he, "an' 1 declare for
all tryin' to boss a woman round-l
will"
l couldn't help but laugh to see
him go to work. I got him my big
check apron, and tied it on. drought
out the flour and the lard. and the
saleratus, and the salt and the spice
drawer. and the sugar-box. Jeremiah
he went out and got the cider molas.
ses. The meat and apples was already
on the old table.
''There." says jeremiah. "Now III
show you something about pies"
l said nothing. but went to washing
up the breakfast dishes and sweeping
up.
81 don't get to baking so early as
this, generally" says |. You've got
a good start"
20, yes" he answered in his gayest
tone, '.t'won't be no time afore
have them pies all settin' in row or
the buttery shelf. Hain't you got nc
sour milk?"
"Why, yes" says l, "but you don't
want it for mince piesl"
"Who's maxim thess pies?' says he
''AIy mother always used to make
sour milk piecrust, and believe il
would taste good once more"
So brought the sour milk. He
dipped out about two quarts OF it in
my big yellow mixing dish.
''Where's she short nin?" says he
There's the lard, and there's the
butter here il you'd rather have il"
"sfy mother used lard" says he
Where's dish to melt it in?"
j got him u dish.
"Most folks rub their shortening in
to the -four" says /.
my mother didn't" says he. GAS
/ said before, who's maxim these
pies? If am"
al won't say another word, +" says /
I've had experience in managing q
opinionated partner before.
He stirred his melted laru into his
sour milk, and it rose to the top in
little Jumps. Then be begun to stir in
-four. / see ne hadn't put in any
saleratus, but knew him too well to
venture to say so. Jeremiah Jones
sometimes needs to attend the school
kept by Experience
He stirred and stirred and stirred
When he finally got it thick enough,
there was batter enough, such as il
was, to m AXE several dozen pies.
'.These pies are goin' to be so good, y
says he; 'we'll make up a lot OF EN-.
Where's the pie plates?"
i brought them to him all oattered,
and he begun to roll out his crust
Bv this time 1t was so thick that il
could scarcely be induced to roll out
at all, but he worked nobly. When
he got his first piece rolled down to
about an inch in thickness, he stopped
and looked at it.
Il like good thick crust, myself"
says he. Gan inch thick amt too
much for a real juicy inside.
NO." I answered, comforting my
self with the thought that his crust
wouldn't rise up to call him blessed,
the way most sour milk crusts do.
By the time he had rolled out four
under-crusts, and used perhaps one,
eight OF his batter, he laid down his
rollIngpin. =,
"shan't chop your meat for your
says l.
mo, sir-e-e" says he. "Who' max
in these pies? / xish't you hadn't
chopped the apples. I've got an oven
tul rolled out, and now I'll make the
inside. Where's the chopin trayr'
.Did your mother have anybody to
hand things, or did she get them her
self" says /, good naturally, handing
him the tray and chopin knife.
He put all his meat, somefour or hive
pounds, into the tray at once and be
gan to chop. He chopped and he
chopped and he chopped, and still
yreat masses OF whole meat kept com
ing to the sufarce. After three-quar.
tiers OF an hour OF hard work he had
rot it so there wasn't any pieces more
than one and halfinches square and
Two inches thick, though there was
plenty that big. Then he went for the
molasses jug.
"You amt going to call that fine
enough for the meat?" says i.
Course it's fine enough, says ne
"Takes the life all out OF the mince'
meat or hash or anything, to chop 1t
too fine"
"But jeremiah" says |, 10th to see
20 much good meat wasted, that
won't be fit to eat. Let me take It;
I'd rather chop than see thepies spoil
ed" :.
"sp'iled!" he cried. "Who's maxim
these pies, Philura?"
al wouldn't want TO swear that any
oody was" says |.
"You always make your pies too
sweet" he went on, measuring out SUI
gar by the teaspoonful. MY mother
never used much sugar.
Then he poured in two teacupiuls Of
rider and molasses and a teacupful oil
vinegar. He liked them real tart, ne
said.
"Now for Spices" says he. Lemme
see. She used to put IN lot ofeinger
/ remember" And thereupon the
whole two-ounce package was emptied
into the pan. "And cinnamon-aln'
we got any cinnamon stick?" :.
mo" says I, you say you don
like it."
ats best for pies, guess, but tins
win do" whereupon the package o
cinnamon followed theginger. "Clove'
oh, yesl Where's the mortar m pes
sei5 And he ground up quarter o
-, - aund of cloves and stirred them IN
Nn0 ~ 49, III l...t Aha ralslf1a %